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Publishers WeeklyDaughters of Spain's Isabella and Ferdinand, the sister queens Katherine of England and Juana of Castile epitomized the pitfalls of being "born female in a male-dominated society." Although Juana became queen of Castile after Isabella's death, her closest male kin, beginning with her bullying husband, Philip of Burgundy, usurped her throne by circulating rumors that the temperamental queen was deranged; then her father, and then her son, kept her as an abused prisoner. But Juana bore healthy sons and her descendants dominated Europe for some two centuries after her death. The politically astute Katherine was Henry VIII's closest adviser in their marriage's early days and enjoyed a productive, contented life. But she lost Henry's affection and her title as queen consort when she failed to produce a male heir.



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